Chapter 16
After he’d held me for a long while, Inkiri and I got up. We found old packets of instant ramen in the dorm room, and there was a shared kitchen, so I ended up introducing Inkiri to what being a student had been like.
He’d looked more than a little skeptical about the noodles and the flavoring pack, and his frown had only deepened when he’d sniffed it. He’d decided I could have all of it.
In the dorm room next to the one we’d claimed, there was even a whole stack of Japanese snacks, so we experimented with those while we sat on the bed, our feet tangled together.
Inkiri seemed to like them better. The thing was, I couldn’t even always say what the snacks were supposed to be, so it was a new experience we got to share.
It was the best. It helped me get over the dry and stale instant coffee I’d found in the kitchen and made for myself to have with the ramen. The sad mug of brown slop had gone down the drain, with me unable to finish even half of it.
By the time Inkiri and I made our way back, the college looked like the kind of place that housed ghosts. As we walked past the overgrown lawns, Inkiri held on to my wrist.
“Wow, it really is dark out here. I guess if they still have emergency services in the city, they rerouted the power.”
He nodded. “You truly cannot see?”
I looked around. The brightest thing was the sky and the stars dotting the blackness, but there was a faint, faint glow that came from elsewhere in the city.
“Just shapes. It’s not completely black, but I’d lose my way for sure without you.”
He clicked. “Then I’ll not let you go. You won’t get lost, not now, not when we go to the Stone to close the veils.”
“I know. Let me try a thing.”
I poked the land. It roused like a cat might from a nap. It let me know where I was, in this big city with its heart river. It was a pulled-apart kind of experience, and I just couldn’t get over the dizziness.
“Sadir?” Inkiri stopped and clicked at me.
“It’s fine. I’m doing magic.”
He nodded, I saw that through my magical out-of-myself perception. “Maybe I should carry you. At the Hill of Tara.”
“No, I’ll keep my feet on the ground, at least to start.” The land seemed to approve of that.
Back at the smaller courtyard where we’d teleported in, most everyone had gathered, and the bagua had found construction lights and set them up. Vergis and Kinnek were making the ko circle and using more of the spray paint. A whole bag full of it was sitting on the ground just outside the circle.
Charles was chatting with some of the bagua and a small crowd was gathered around him.
At the edge of the illuminated lawn, I spotted Aragis, who was holding his middle in a self-soothing way, and while he looked at the circle, I didn’t really think he was fully in the moment. His gaze seemed far off.
Aragis. I could’ve kicked myself when I remembered what I should never have forgotten when we’d arrived here earlier.
Land, you are helping that bagu, I said. I was doing my best King Lear, and the land seemed surprised.
That bagu?
Yes, that bagu. Of course that bagu.
The land, in that way it had, stopped and examined Aragis.
It pulled me back into its memory, the ghostly one with the two girls in it, only this time, both girls had their hands on the Stone, and it vibrated.
It sang like the land sang, in happiness, and I could hear no hoofbeats at all.
What it was showing me wasn’t a memory at all.
I wished that. Then the men came, and they hurt them both. That bagu has been hurt, forced.
The land seemed uneasy about that. I was too.
So what can you do?
I cannot heal his feet. They have cut away the claws, but the wounds closed a long, long time ago.
The bone is gone. I cannot heal his throat, because scars have grown where his voice used to be.
I cannot heal the heart. Your kind has always been my heart.
One of your kin once said that magic cannot heal the heart.
She said it needs others to do that. Maybe you can try?
I snorted. Was the land asking me to do adulting? Did it know me?
After a while, the land shivered with excitement. His horns. They’re not healed. I can help with those. Get closer and touch him so it will be easier.
I gasped. His horns. That didn’t sound like much, but dang it, it had to be enough.
Back where my body was, I said to Inkiri, “Let me go for a sec. I have to do something. Be right back.”
I ran toward that courtyard, only barely aware of Inkiri’s surprised huff, but he followed me, easily matching my speed. He didn’t try to stop me, just stayed right there by my side.
I slowed down as I rounded the construction lights that stood in the middle of the concrete path and walked right up to Gesango, who looked absorbed as he observed the designs being drawn on the lawn.
“I need your help. With the language,” I told the healer doc.
Inkiri stopped right next to me, in touching distance, a warm, watchful presence.
The tall hangu-na tilted his head. “Of course.”
“Okay. Let’s go talk to Aragis.”
Inkiri stuck to my side, and we all headed to where Aragis stood.
As soon as he saw us walk toward him, his attention snapped to me, then to Gesango, then Inkiri.
From his wide eyes and tight lips, it looked like alarm bells were going off in his head.
Gesango and Inkiri clicked immediately, and if I’d had any confidence in my ability to replicate the sound, I’d have done the same.
Instead, I waved. “Hi.” Aragis looked at me, but he didn’t move. “Gesango, can you tell him I can do a bit of magic—tell him I’m a koa. And I think I might be able to heal his horns. Just his horns. Tell him I’m sorry, but just the horns. Everything else is impossible with my magic.”
Gesango translated, then added, “You can truly do that? They would be a constant source of pain and possible infection, like a broken tooth for a human, but if you can make them whole, it will make his life a lot easier.”
I nodded. “I’ll try. Can you ask if it’s okay to touch him? His hands, I just want to touch his hands. It’ll be easier.”
Gesango translated. Aragis didn’t react for a long time. He just stood there and stared. I had no idea what had to be going on inside him. Had he ever even seen a human?
In the end, Aragis dipped his head once.
“That means yes, I think,” Gesango said. “He cannot and should not speak above a whisper. His voice box is very damaged.”
Fuckers. Pieces of shit. The Koa Esher needed to meet my guys, or better yet, Kinnek, Vergis, and Charles combined. I had a feeling the three of them could do some damage.
I nodded too, tried to smile, and held my hands out as I approached Aragis. He slowly let out a measured breath and unwound his arms from around his middle, holding his hands out just enough for me to take them.
There. Can you please work fast?
The land, for once, did exactly what I needed it to. Aragis hissed when the magic started, but I held on, not that he really tried pulling away. It was only two seconds or so, and when the land was done, I sensed its satisfaction with the result.
I couldn’t help her or her sister. The land showed me that memory of the two green-eyed girls again. It feels good to help him. I’ve never healed horns such as these. If it’s needed again, I’ll be able to do it even faster.
I sighed. Let’s hope nothing like that ever happens again.
The land seemed to regard me with a tired sadness. The terrible things always happen again. They happen every day. The pain is loud, incredibly loud, but no one listens. Next time, I’ll be faster.
It was probably right. I swallowed, remembered the cult I’d accidentally ended up with. It was definitely right.
I let go of Aragis’s hands. Gesango gasped and took a step to the side to get a better look at Aragis’s horns. Some of the Raikengana around us looked as well, and I saw their eyes go wide, their mouths fall open. One mumbled something far beyond my understanding. I had done something good.
“Oh, fudge brownie chocolate bar, what have you done?” Kinnek had walked up behind me, and his voice was high and excited.
He switched to Lugarra and spoke to Aragis, who was carefully running his hands along his horns, feeling the spots where the holes had been drilled through. The surprise on his face was more emotion than I’d seen there so far.
I shrugged. “Just a little bit of magic. It was all I could do though. The land says it can’t help with anything else.”
“Thank you, sweet pea.” Kinnek stroked Aragis’s back in such an affectionate way that I wanted to look away, but before I could, Aragis looked right at me, and his silver eyes, so much like Vergis’s, were bright now, not overshadowed by whatever horror would not stop haunting him.
“Lesh.” His voice was almost inaudible and crackly, but he had a voice. After everything he’d endured, he still had his voice.
I bowed. “My pleasure. Erm—”
“Engas,” Inkiri whispered to me.
“Engas.” I stepped to stand so close to him that our bodies touched. He put his arm around my shoulders, and I relaxed. Even if the rest of the plan failed, I’d done something right tonight.
“You healed his horns.” Inkiri absentmindedly pushed my scarf aside and licked my skin.
“Magical twink.”
I only jumped a tiny little bit when I heard Vergis’s voice. I hadn’t heard him walk over. He tossed the spray bottle into a black backpack against which he’d leaned his long gun.
Nokim stood right next to him. “It is good we have a magical twink in the sentenmen.”
I looked Nokim over. He’d changed out of his taupe clothes and was wearing mottled black now.
I huffed. I hadn’t meant for this to put me on the spot like this. “Yeah, but can you, like, not die for once, Nokim? Also, did you get a promotion to protector? You’re wearing black too.”
He pulled on his sleeve. “Oh, no. This hides better for the night.”
Vergis sighed. “It hides you better during the night. It’s called camouflage.”
Nokim clicked. “Yes, that. Ca-mou-flage.”